Phuket chosen as pilot province to promote organic tourism

The popular holiday resort of Phuket has been chosen as a pilot province to promote organic tourism.

The Thai Organic Consumer Association (TOCA) revealed it wants to boost organic tourism in the province in an effort to connect hotels and consumers with farmers digitally and introduce incentive reward programmes.

TOCA President Arrut Navaraj believes that information transparency would benefit everyone in the food chain, Bangkok Post reported. It would allow buyers to trace their products on the system and prevent exploitation and greenwashing.

The TOCA platform is an e-commerce platform which helps farmers sell their products directly to consumers, such as hotels and restaurants.

The association partnered with the Tourism Authority of Thailand to drive organic tourism in Phuket in 2021.

Arrut made known that about 10 farmers have joined the scheme up to now but hopes to have more onboard soon.

“Phuket’s agricultural products are mostly from Ratchaburi province.

“The platform wants to engage more farmers from nearby provinces, such as Krabi and Phang Nga.

“As some hotels currently plant their own organic products, they can also be included on the platform.

“Current partners in Phuket include Grand Mercure Phuket Patong, Trisara Resort, Torry’s Ice Cream, and Baan Suan Pakkudthong Organic Garden.

“TOCA expects an effective output from Phuket by mid-year, and wants to expand its pilot project to other provinces, including Chiang Mai and Krabi.”

Arrut said one of the biggest challenges for TOCA is to get hotels to order organic products from farmers on the platform.

“All transactions are measured with the “Earth Point” reward system, which tallies organic product purchases and allows hotels to reduce their carbon footprint by sending food waste back to farmers.

“This system could help increase value and incentives for partnered hotels and restaurants, luring more responsible tourists to visit or hold meetings at their businesses.

“These tourists could also visit organic farms and collect their own points.

“Many hotels, both self-owned and chain hotels such as Marriott The Athenee Hotel and Grand Hyatt, have expressed an interest in joining the platform.

“In the long run, organic tourism could become a priority for all provinces across the country.”

The next step is to expand the consumer target market to expats living in the country.